Take That singer Gary Barlow is heading to Sunderland on a UK tour.

The veteran singer announced this morning he will perform two dates at the Sunderland Empire on when he embarks on a UK tour in April 2018.

The Sunderland gigs take place on Monday April 30 and Tuesday May 1, with tickets going on sale from Friday October 20 at 10am.

The 46-year-old performer has previously performed in two massively successful gigs with Take That at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, but on this tour is playing 34 dates to smaller crowds - 24 of them in "intimate venues".

He said: "I had such a lot of fun back in 2013 when I played smaller venues because you’re so much closer to the fans.

"The audience always seem to love the intimacy of it all too. I’m also really looking forward to playing in a couple of cities I’ve never played before as well as getting a chance to meet the fans there."

A spokesman for JM Concerts said: "The tour will see Gary play intimate venues across the UK and Ireland including some never visited before. The last time Gary played a string of venues this size, demand was so high he could have sold certain venues out six times over.

"Gary last toured as a solo artist in 2014 to acclaim from fans and critics alike, playing some of the biggest venues he had ever played as a solo artist including The O2 London, Birmingham LG Arena, Glasgow The SSE Hydro and Manchester Arena."

The singer-songwriter and record producer found worldwide fame as a member of British pop group Take That. Since forming in 1989, Take That have won eight BRIT awards, sold over 45 million records and over eight million concert tickets.

As well as his own recordings and performances, Gary Barlow is also one of Britain’s most successful songwriters, having written 14 Number One singles and claimed six Ivor Novello Awards.

He has also co-written and produced music for other renowned artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams.

His last solo record Since I Saw You Last sold more than 600,000 copies and was the ninth biggest selling album that year.

He has also turned his attention to the world of theatre, composing the score for Finding Neverland, working alongside screenwriter Tim Firth to write the music and lyrics for musical The Girls and also working alongside his Take That band mates to produce The Band - a record breaking musical featuring the music of Take That.

Tickets for the Sunderland concert in April 2018 go on sale from October 20 via www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland as well as at the Empire box office.

Gary Barlow’s tour will start on April 16 2018. Here is the full list of dates: